17d • General discussion
The Body Keeps The Score
I recently re-read a few chapters in The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, MD, and this book felt like one of those things that found me at the right time.
I came across it while I was visiting a holistic herb shop during a trip to Florida a few years back. I wasn’t necessarily looking for this exact book in that moment, but something about it caught my attention — and I’m really grateful I followed that little nudge.
This book helped me better understand trauma, PTSD, and the deeper layers of complex/developmental trauma — not just as something that lives in our thoughts, but as something that can be stored and carried within our bodies.
One of the biggest things I took away was learning the importance of getting to know our internal landscape — becoming aware of what our bodies are communicating, noticing our patterns and responses, and understanding that healing is possible when we create new pathways instead of staying stuck in old survival responses.
The neuroscience around the fear-driven mind, painful memories, and how our brains and bodies adapt to trauma was fascinating. It gave me a deeper understanding of why awareness, safety, connection, and compassion are such important parts of healing.
This book helped me see myself with more compassion. It reminded me that healing isn’t about judging the ways we survived — it’s about practicing radical acceptance, extending self forgiveness, and learning to move forward with a deeper understanding of ourselves.
I will say this book can be heavy and includes some graphic examples of people’s experiences, so I think it’s something to approach with care and at the right time in your own journey. But for me, it was a powerful resource that helped me connect the dots, understand myself differently, and continue moving forward with more compassion.
“Trauma is not the story of something that happened back then. It’s the current imprint of that pain on the body, brain, and nervous system.”
This book reminded me that healing is not about erasing what happened — it’s about learning how to live differently with new awareness, understanding, and compassion for ourselves.
What is one thing you’ve learned about yourself or your nervous system that changed the way you see yourself?
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The Body Keeps The Score
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